Stingray vs. Bongo - Single H pup - Help!

Jim C · #1 07-16-2010, 10:55 AM

* I have an 83' Ray and I love it; it's too heavy
* The new SR's are all over the map in weight; mostly heavy
* The Bongos are basswood bodies; are consistently lighter, and use different magnet material; not sure about the pre-amps
* Have read that the Sterlings sound diffferent and I believe have a thinner neck

Any body have 1 of each that can offer a comparison (assuming the same 3-band EQ)?
My intenet is not to debate that one can sound exactly like the other but perhaps a verbal or sound clip comparison that shows a consistent difference or the natural voicing of each

All I want is a 8 1/2lb Ray with a 2 5/8" thickness (at the nut), a flatish rear neck profile, or something close,

All helpful comments are greatly appreciated

(PS - Not against the idea that I just have to keep looking for a featherweight and the above is an unreasonable expectation)

DavidLopezJr · #2 07-16-2010, 12:59 PM

Wondering the same thing myself for the future. Subscribed.

blendermassacre · #3 07-17-2010, 12:32 AM

The pres are different in bongos and rays. Bongos have an 18v preamp, which I think is a 4 band eq

Sartori · #4 07-17-2010, 02:59 AM

Bongo. It is seriously awesome.

johnk_10 · #5 07-17-2010, 03:10 AM

the only thing i don't like about my ray is its weight (10lbs 7 oz). i cleaned up the neck and shot it with nitro right when i got it since it didn't like the oil finish as much as i do gloss necks.
now i'm planning to build my own body for it out of swamp ash. that way i can have a ray that weighs 8 lbs. i'll probably make the new body an HH (dual pickup) just so i can get alittle more thump out of it too.

i had two stingrays back in '76 right when they came out, a silver maple necked one and a mocha brown fretless (w/rosewood board). they were great sounding and playing basses, but they too suffered from being extremely heavy (around 10 1/2 lbs).

Jim C · #6 07-17-2010, 06:49 AM

Hey John,
Their low price version called the Ray 34 is made from swamp ash although the only one I tried at GC was kind of heavy.
From what I can tell, no one is licensed to make bodies, so if you do decide to build one, I'd be interested in buying one if you felt like making two.

My 83' neck is just perfect for my hands although past the 12th fret is a bit of a mess; (this could be one of the necks with a straight truss rod as this was the period of bad times between Musicman and CLF).

At least these guys give the weight; have seen the same Ray very from 8.6 lbs to 10.6 lbs

http://www.theperfectbass.com/explor...&U=1&SS=1&CR=Y

johnk_10 · #7 07-17-2010, 07:43 AM

Hi Jim,
i emailed a couple of the listings for a swamp ash ray34 on ebay about their weight, and they both were 9.5-10lbs, so they must be using some really heavy swamp ash.

i really doubt that i'd make two bodies since making one will be enough work, but i'll let you know if i do.

thanks for the link to that website. that white/maple one is very tempting at only 8.2lbs. i've never seen one that light.

there is one place that i found that makes a stingray body, and they offer a few different woods. they very look nice but they can get a bit pricey, once you have the arm relief and tummy cut, and you still have to have it finished either yourself or they can do it for an additional $225.00.

http://guitarmill.com/cart/index.php...a1ce5297166536

brutalron · #8 07-17-2010, 05:17 PM

The Bongo has a neodymium pickup. The Stingray is alnico.

The pre amps are different. The Bongo is also 24 frets.

BartmanPDX · #9 07-17-2010, 05:47 PM

As people have pointed out, there are lots of differences:

3- (or two)-band preamp in the 'ray vs. 4-band in the Bongo
Alnico vs. Ceramic pickups
9 vs 18 volt
Plus the body woods and ergonomics.

In your situation I'd be a little more interested in the Bongo. First off, it's a whole different sound. Though you could get a lightweight 'ray and be happy, it wouldn't be a hugely different sound than you have now. Also, IIRC the single H Bongo has the pickup moved ever so slightly toward the neck. I've heard some EBMM fanatics describe it as the ultimate sweet spot; some of them prefer the single H Bongos to all others.

So do you want a lighter bass that has the same basic sound as you have and enjoy, or do you want a lighter bass that gives you a new sound?

Jim C · #10 07-17-2010, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnk_10

Hi Jim,
that white/maple one is very tempting at only 8.2lbs. i've never seen one that light.

And the black one is 10.1 lbs for the exact same instrument.

You would think that a $1,400 US hand-made instrument would be more consistent than + or - 20% in weight; at least I would think that, but my posts on their board in regards to weight are not appreciated.

cassius987 · #11 07-17-2010, 06:28 PM

The Bongo preamp is WAY better than the Stingray 3-band preamp. I do like the Stingray 2-band preamps though.

pickles · #12 07-17-2010, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BartmanPDX

As people have pointed out, there are lots of differences:

3- (or two)-band preamp in the 'ray vs. 4-band in the Bongo
Alnico vs. Ceramic pickups
9 vs 18 volt
Plus the body woods and ergonomics.

Bongo is actually a Neo magnet isn't it? They are cool sounding basses. The look isn't me, but they play and sound great.

The 4 band EQ on the bongo is great.

Low End Lover · #13 07-17-2010, 06:40 PM

Jim,

I LOVE the Stingray tone, but not the weight and neck size, i.e. small hands. My workaround was getting one of the new Sterling Classics and finding a stock EBMM Stingray pickup to install in it as all the Classics have the same preamp. So now I have a ligther, faster 2-band Stingray. It's not the cheapest option, but it has everything I want and feels and sounds perfect.

LEL

splitcoilsenior · #14 07-17-2010, 07:27 PM

I don't really know much about the Bongo as far as actually playing one, but I played a Stealth Stingray HH yesterday and it felt pretty light....maybe 8.5lbs-9lbs. That thing sounded incredible! The Warwick $$ was the bass I was saving up for, but I played a Neck-Thru version yesterday and it didn't compare in tone and feel to the Stingray.

trunkshope6 · #15 07-17-2010, 07:41 PM

im really interested in buying a bongo by the end of the year ,ive played one at guitar center a year or two ago and have not seen one since,i remember really being suprised about how much i liked it, back then i could of never afforded it but now its possible..

anyways ,can u guys give me a tonal comparison between the stingray and the bongo,i remember getting some really nice tones years ago,but since its been so long and did not have my ray, i couldnt really compare the tones too much

Jim C · #16 07-18-2010, 07:21 PM

Thanks for all the advice; greatly appreciated.
Am surprised that no one has posted that has had a Ray and a Bongo though.

blendermassacre · #17 07-18-2010, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim C

Thanks for all the advice; greatly appreciated.
Am surprised that no one has posted that has had a Ray and a Bongo though.

They're both quite different beasts. Bongo's can be vintage, but are obviously modern in looks. Stingrays OTOH are pretty vintage styled instruments. It's not surprising that a lot of people don't have both, IMO.

syciprider · #18 07-18-2010, 10:21 PM

The single H Bongo comes with a 3 band EQ but the piezo bridge equipped H variant comes with the regular 4 bander.

The single H Bongo can sound like a Stingray but with the added benefit of having more bottom on tap from the beefier preamp. It also doesn't have that zingy (some say harsh) top end.

I like em both but lean more towards the SR due to the 21 fret neck.

lefty007 · #19 07-18-2010, 11:35 PM

Haven't played an H Bongo, but have owned many SR5s, and currently own a Bongo HH. I think the AlNiCo pole piece are a bit more aggressive and clear. They have more snap to them - but this is all very subjective. The Bongo, even with brand-new strings, can sound dark unless I boost the highs or high-mids. There is also a certain clankiness to the neo pickups that I hear, but again, this is very subjective.

Regarding weight, Bongos can still be heavy. I used to have a 4-string HH that was around 9.8 lb, and my current 5-string is around 9.6 lb, although I fit it with Hipshot Ultralite keys, and it's now 9 lb. (The Ultralites are not an exact retrofit to the MM keys, because the leave the original holes exposed, but who cares...)

I hope I live until the day EBMM decides to make an affort to consistently lighten their basses, man. Between 9 and 10 lb still is heavy to many of us. I would have settled on an SR5 years ago if it wasn't for the unmanageable weight. Them people must not be gigging musicians. ;-) I would love to order a single H 5-string Bongo, but it's impossible to know whether it would be 9 lb or 10 lb. That's a big difference to me.